Bright Waves

[Heroine] As the illegitimate daughter of a marquis's household, Ming Lan's life should have gone like this: At the elders' arrangement, she would marry a man she had never met, bear his children, manage his household, take in concubines and maids, and earn a little praise for her virtue. After death, she would be buried beside him. When people spoke of her later, they would probably not even know her given name, referring to her only as "Madam So-and-so." A lifetime could be summed up in just four words: "virtuous, good, gentle, and chaste." But Xie Minglan did not take that path. From the day she was born, she was raised as an "illegitimate son." She studied and pursued scholarship, entered government service, and stumbled through a life of hardship and bloodshed, but never once did she retreat. One day, the man who wielded immense power, who had once bullied and coerced her, yet had also risked his life to save her, asked her, "Minglan, I can make you empress, or appoint you as my chancellor. What do you want?" Xie Minglan looked only at the man and said, word by word, "This subject wants peace throughout the land and a prosperous age for all. May the old, the weak, women, and children never have to suffer hunger or cold." [Hero] Lu Su had done plenty of outrageous things in his life. He had seized all power for himself, raised troops, and rebelled. Whatever could be done, and whatever could not, he had done it all. But the most outrageous thing of all was this: While inspecting the Imperial College, he got drunk and touched a student. Then, instead of repenting, he forced her to meet him in secret. At first, he simply coveted her body. Gradually, he wanted to marry her, pamper her with gold and jade, and lavish her with pearls and emeralds, never letting her endure the slightest hardship or touch a speck of worldly grime. He simply did not know that the woman had the whole world in her heart. All she wanted was a bright and prosperous age. In the end, the man who had never bowed his head in his entire life gave in. He burned the edict naming her empress, devoted himself to governing well, and became the wise ruler of the prosperous age she dreamed of. Theme: When you achieve success, use it to benefit the whole world